Tractional refuse or like can



' Jan. 2, 1945. s. M. AlTELLl TRACTIONAL REFUSE OR LIKE CAN Filed Dec. 27, 1941 INVENT OR.

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Patented Jan 2,1945

UNITED STATES PATENT OF,FIC E a $2,366,22 i

TaaorIoNAL REFUSE'ORHLIKE oAn 3 Silvio M. Aitelli, Newark, NHL. o Application Deccmber 27,1941,Serial No. 424,669

2. Claims. (01. 280-5 1) f This inventionrelates to. improvements in re- 1 fusecans and like receptacles, such e. g. as ash and garbage. cans; .ancLthe invention ha s'refer- .ence,. more particularly, to. a tractional type of refuse can or like receptacle.

This invention as for an objeottoiprovidea novel construction of tractional can or receptacle havi g, as a self-contained part of its structure,

traction rollers or wheels and novel means for mounting the same in. operative disposition relative to the can or receptacle bottom, and insuch relation to the. can or receptacle as. a wholeas to tom structure inclineduin plane angular to the perpendicular axis of the. can or receptacle body,

whereby the bottom structure is provided with a high side and a low side, with the traction rollers or shaped that its bottom margins lie. in an;.in-

in the above described views, .to indicate corresponding parts. Referring to the drawing, the illustrative embodiment of the tractional refuse can according to this invention therein shown, comprises: a body 19 of suitable shape, e. g. of cylindrical shape,

having an open top end and a closed bottom end. Said body is preferably made of "sheet metal. The upper open end of the body H1 is suitably finished with the usual reeniorced beaded edge I I, and saidbody may be ribbed or fluted or otherwise reenforcedin any. suitable or well known.

battering and distortion.

The lower end of the manner calculated to strengthen the same against body in is so trimmed clined bottom plane transversely angular to the perpendicular axis; of the body. The pitcher or wheels mountedin assembled. relation thereto I adjacent to itshigh side, and :sothat the low side cooperates with said traction rollers: or wheels in providing a stable three point support or base in horizontal. plane upon which the can or receptacle stands perpendicular when at rest.

This invention has fora further object to enforced annular peripheral bottom and can body joint/flange dependent from the plane of the uninclination of this bottom plane is small, preferably extending at an angle of buttwoor three 1 degrees relative to aflat plane at right anglesto the perpendicular axis of the body. By suchcon- I struction the rear end of the bottom of thebody derside of the can bottom per se, andby which reenforced flange is carried the axle or journal supporting means for the tractiontrollejrs or wheels r j i Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood fromth'e following detailed description of the same.

Illustrative embodiments of thisinventioniare shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a refuse canmade is spaced above theplane or a supporting surface, while, the frontend thereof is disposed in the plane .of and so as to engage saidsupporting surface. 1

bottom peripheral flange I3, are preferably pro-.

vided with inwardly and upwardly turned portions 14 extending around. andcontiguousj to the interior face of said bottom peripheral flange. 13,

so as toembrace and enclose thelatterin manner to provide a...closed joint seam formation. Of

according; to the instant invention, the same being shown in full line representation inits stand ing position atrest, and by dotted linerepresentation as tipped back. for .tractional support and movementupon its traction rollers or wheels; Fig.

2 is a fragmentary rear side elevation of the can,,

viewed .in the direction oi the arrow X. in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectionalview, taken on liner-3 in Fig.2, but drawn on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 1. t

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional course, it will be understood that the body 10. and bottom member l2. may be assembled; and joined together in any otheisuitable or well known manner, so long as the resulting bottom structure forms or includes a bottom joint flange dependent from the plane of the inclined bottom member 12, i so as to freely project beyond the underside of said bottom member around the periphery thereof. Applied exteriorly around andin engagement withthe bottom joint flange, with which the body is thus provided, is a heavy metallic reenforcing flange, so as to guard the latter against battering and distortion. Said bottom joint flange and the band or hoop l5 are strongly united and secured together by circumferentially spaced .rivets Iii which are riveted therethrough.

Extending through the reenforcing'band or hoop l5 of the dependent bottomjoint flange of the can body, and thus exteriorly beneath the is a handle means or han bottom member l2 of the latter, along a line forming a transverse chord of an arcuate portion of the can bottom at the rear end thereof,

/ is an axle shaft ll, the exteriorly and oppositely projecting ends of which providejournal portions 3 upon which are mounted traction rollers or wheels [9 for the tractional support of said can body. Spacer sleeves 20 are also mounted on said exteriorly projecting journal portions I8 between the band or hoop I5 and the rollers or wheels [9, whereby to suitably offset the latter against contact with the band or hoop likely to impede free rotation thereof. Said rollers or wheels I9 are suitably retained against displacement from said shaft journal portions l8, as e. g. by means of washers 2| and linchpins 22. If desired, the axle shaft I! may be further supported against displacement, bending or other distortion, by a brace means 2-3 arranged to embrace a midportion thereof, and which is suitably secured or anchored to an adjacent portion of the bottom joint flange of the can body.

The radius of the traction rollers or wheels I9 is predetermined so that the ground or floor contacting points of their peripheries and the ground or floor contacting point of the can bottom flange at the front end of the can bottom will lie in a common horizontal plane, and thus provide a stable three point support or base in a plane at right angles to the perpendicular axis of the can body upon which the latter stands perpendicular when at rest. It will be observed, that owing to the provision of the but slightly inclined bottom structure of the can body and I the novel arrangement and relation of the traction roller or'wheel mounting adjacent to the but slightly elevated rear end of said inclined bottom structure, the can body, when either empty or filled, and especially when standing at 'restjwill possess a low center of gravity, and consequently risk of the can being accidentlyoverturned, and, if filled, itscontent spilled, is reduced to a minimum.

It will also be observed that the construction as a whole provides a tractional refuse can of exceedingly simple, compact, and yet sturdy and strong construction, wherein the traction rollers or' wheels may be small in size and positioned within the limits of the maximum diameter of the can body, so as to be little likely to impede uses to which ordinary refuse cans are put.

Aifixed to the upper portion of the can body- 10,

at the rearside thereof at or adjacent to which the traction rollers or wheels l9 are mounted,

means of which the can body may be tipped and then pushed or pulled about on said traction rollers or wheels. It will be obvious, that but a limitedtipping of the can body for traction is required, in fact a tipping of but a degree or two from the perpendicular is all that is necessary to raise the ground or floor contacting front end of the can bottom structure clear of the ground or floor surface, whereby to tractionally support the can for movement on its rollers or wheels alone. This is indicated by the dotted representation of the can in Fig. 1, which shows its tipped condition for traction.

Another advantage of the low slung position .of the traction rollers or wheels in adjacent "relation to the but slightly elevated rear end of the can bottom structure is that accidental back tipping of the can to a degree likely to risk back ward overturning thereof will be prevented by contact of the periphery of the rear end of the bottom structure with the ground or floor, and consequently the back tipping movement will be arrested before it results in such shift of the center of gravity as is likely to result in overturni In Fig. 5 is shown a modified optional arrangement for mounting the traction rollers or wheels IS in connection with the band or hoop l5 and the bottom flange structure of the can engaged thereby. Instead of employing the previously described through aXle shaft, journal brackets 25 may be riveted to the bottom flange and reenforcing band or hoop structure, said journal brackets having outwardly extending journal members 26 upon which the traction rollers or wheels 19 are rotatably mounted. The axial alignment and projection of the journal brackets and their journal members will correspond to that of the above described axle shaft and its projecting end portions relative to the rear end of the can bottom structure.

I am aware that various changes could be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts and elements making-up the novel tractional refuse can above described without departing from the spirit of this invention within the scope of the appended claims. It is therefore intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sensel I claim:

1'. A tractional refuse receptacle comprising a perpendicular body open at its top end and havsaid bottom margin engages said surface while its rear side is spaced somewhat above said surface, a reenforcing band encircling the bottom marginal portions of said body, a flat bottom *handling, storage, positioning or other normal grip member 24, by

member having a dependent marginal flange fituted Within the open bottom end of said body to close the latter, means to secure said reenforcing band and bottom member flange to the bottom marginal portions of said body, to thereby form a composite annular bottom skirt structure projecting below said bottom member, an axle shaft extending transversely through said bottom skirt structure forwardly adjacent to the rear side of said body, the exteriorly and oppositely projecting end portions of said axle shaft provid-- ing traction roller journals, traction rollers mounted on said journals, said rollers being sized to support the body, in conjunction with the supporting surface engaging front side thereof, with supporting connection with the mid-portion of said axle shaft.

SILVIO M. AITELLI. 

